Mogale City Local Municipality has swiftly acted on reports of tampering and bypassing of the newly installed Smart Prepaid Electricity Meters. While these incidents remain isolated and few in number, the municipality is treating them with utmost seriousness.
The Smart Metering System not only empowers customers to better manage their electricity consumption but also enables the municipality to remotely monitor usage and detect potential tampering or bypassing. This technology is a vital tool in combating a long-standing challenge faced by municipalities across South Africa, where electricity theft and meter tampering have severely affected revenue collection and the ability of municipalities to meet their financial obligations to Eskom.
The municipality commenced implementation of the Prepaid Smart Electricity Metering Project in July 2025. This initiative forms part of a National Treasury programme aimed at funding and installing more than 250 000 smart meters nationwide by 2027, as part of efforts to reduce municipal debt to Eskom, which currently stands at almost R100 billion nationally.
In alignment with the project’s objectives – which go beyond a technical upgrade towards transforming how electricity is delivered and managed – Mogale City recently undertook enforcement actions following system alerts of possible tampering and bypassing. On 27-28 October 2025, the municipality’s Electrical and Credit Control teams, in partnership with Vodacom (the National Treasury-appointed implementing agent), conducted inspections at identified properties in Munsieville and Krugersdorp West.
At one of the locations, there was evidence of attempted access to the meter without actual tampering. However, at another property in Krugersdorp West – reportedly occupied by student tenants – clear evidence of tampering and bypassing was confirmed, resulting in the immediate disconnection of supply.
To address such violations, the municipality will implement the following corrective measures in accordance with approved tariffs and policies:
- Impose a penalty of R14 440 (excluding VAT) for tampering or bypassing
- Require submission of a valid Certificate of Compliance (CoC) in line with SANS 10142 standards before reconnection
- Apply a reconnection fee of R1 700
- Recover the cost of meter replacement, estimated at R6 000
Mogale City extends its appreciation to all law-abiding, responsible, and paying customers who support the municipality’s efforts to not only ensure a fair and transparent electricity service, but that broader required services are also efficiently provided.
The municipality strongly condemns any form of electricity theft, tampering, or vandalism of municipal infrastructure and warns that such actions will be promptly detected and dealt with in accordance with the law.